Doublewide heavily damaged by Wednesday fire

By Cathryn Lindsay, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at 03:39 PM.

Now is also a good time to make sure smoke detectors are working, officials said.

“With daylight savings on Sunday, we like to remind people to make sure they test their smoke detectors and change the batteries,” Whitford said. “The time change is an easy way for people to remember.”

Firefighters from Rhems Volunteer Fire and Rescue responded to a doublewide mobile home fire at 1320 Tuscarora-Rhems Road near New Bern around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

No one was inside the home when the fire started and no injuries were reported.

The mobile home, which housed three adults and three children, suffered heavy damage from the heat and smoke, but was not a total loss, said Ira Whitford, the assistant fire marshal for Craven County. The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature.

West New Bern Fire Department, Number 9 Township Fire Department and New Bern Emergency Medical Services also assisted in the firefighting efforts.

“Once a fire starts in a (mobile home), there is a very short window to get it out before it becomes a total loss,” explained David Sawyer, a firefighter with West New Bern Fire Department.

The Red Cross is currently assisting the family members, who have relatives in the area.

“Especially with the holidays coming up, people need to be careful not to overload their electrical outlets,” said Doug Soltow, chief of Rhems Volunteer Fire and Rescue.

Now is also a good time to make sure smoke detectors are working, officials said.

“With daylight savings on Sunday, we like to remind people to make sure they test their smoke detectors and change the batteries,” Whitford said. “The time change is an easy way for people to remember.”